Top 5: Prominent players who started their T20 career with a duck
It was the fifth Test of the 1948 Ashes series at The Oval in London. Sir Donald Bradman, the greatest batsman to walk grace the pitch, the skipper of the Australian team and playing in his very last Test match, needed just four runs if Australia batted just once to finish with a career average of 100. The World held its breath as Bradman strolled out to bat one last time.
The elegance and grace of his batting had spread word to shores afar but that day wasn't his. Eric Hollies, a leg-spinner, took the most important scalp of his 2323 wickets in First-class cricket that day. He castled Bradman for a two-ball duck. The Australian legend finished his career with an average of 99.94, almost touching invincibility.
There are few ducks in World cricket which had more significance. The number 0 has held a special place in the World ever since its origin, almost as though people are attracted to the number. Ducks in cricket are commonplace but with the glam and bash of T20 cricket arriving, "score quickly or get out" seemed to be the way to go. Ducks in T20 cricket are barely discussed about, and unsurprisingly so. Here, we take a glance at five prominent players who got out for a duck in their debut T20 match.
#5 MS Dhoni: India vs South Africa, Dec 2006, Johannesburg
MS Dhoni was slowly making his name in International Cricket more than a decade ago. His big hitting abilities were already on full display in a couple of scintillating knocks against Pakistan and Sri Lanka (148 in Vizag & 183* in Jaipur) in ODI games. India were still a few months away from the inaugural T20 World Cup, when the to-be-appointed-skipper, Dhoni, made his T20 debut on the tour of South Africa.
It was the only T20 of the series and South Africa had managed just 126. Virender Sehwag and Dinesh Mongia gave India a good start after Tendulkar's departure but a Sehwag run-out saw Dhoni make his debut. Charl Langeveldt, the South African seamer, bowled a fullish delivery on off-stump, that Dhoni tried to dab to third-man.
The ball found the inside edge and cannoned into the stumps to end Dhoni's disastrous T20 debut. India went on to win the match and Dhoni went on to win the World Cup a few months later as skipper of the side.